Hand Emergency Brake not working...Help!

[cookin ez]

My V8 Vantage S Roadster finally arrived today! Needs a good detailing but is beautiful. After they unloaded off the truck and drove away I noticed that the emergency brake would not release. Pulling up or down on it makes no noise and does not disengage the parking brake so the vehicle does not want to move. Any suggestions?

Edited by cookin ez on Thursday 8th January 20:27

[Quinny]

You have to press in the button, pull the handbrake up, until you feel resistance, then put it back down...KEEPING the button pressed in...

[cookin ez]

Unfortunately I am not getting any resistance when I press the button in and raise the hand brake?

[JohnPM]

You're not meant to feel any resistance while pulling it up, it is a type of fly-off handbrake. Just pull it up until it stops, then press the button as you pull it a little further, then keep the button fully pressed as you lower it.

[JACK6284]

Do you have your foot on the brake? You need to do this too?

[RichB]

As has been said it's a 'fly off' handbrake. To me they are logical because I grew up with one on my MGA but if you['ve never used one before (and I can't think of any other modern car with one) then they take some getting used to. I'm surprised the dealer didn't walk you through all the features of the car before disappearing.

[JimboA]

JACK6284 said:

Do you have your foot on the brake? You need to do this too?

Actually, no you don't need to have your foot on the brake... otherwise a will start might be a real problem for you! The handbrake is an independent system from the footbrake.

[cookin ez]

Yea! got it to work. Thanks everyone. Someone had it set so tight I had to pull up with two hands as hard as I could to release it.

[BravoV8V]

JohnPM said:

it is a type of fly-off handbrake.

No, it's not.

RichB said:

As has been said it's a 'fly off' handbrake.

Nope, it's still not.


The handbrake in Gaydon Astons IS NOT a fly-off handbrake. It is just a standard handbrake that sits flat (rather than up) when either on or off.

[RichB]

BravoV8V said:

JohnPM said:

it is a type of fly-off handbrake.

No, it's not.

RichB said:

As has been said it's a 'fly off' handbrake.

Nope, it's still not.

The handbrake in Gaydon Astons IS NOT a fly-off handbrake. It is just a standard handbrake that sits flat (rather than up) when either on or off.

Oh. When I drove the early V8Vs I thought it behaved in a similar way to my MGA handbrake. Mind you that was close on 40 years ago so my memory is wrong and you are right.

[steveatesh]

RichB said:

As has been said it's a 'fly off' handbrake. To me they are logical because I grew up with one on my MGA but if you['ve never used one before (and I can't think of any other modern car with one) then they take some getting used to. I'm surprised the dealer didn't walk you through all the features of the car before disappearing.

Whether it's a fly on or not, my mrs hasn't got used to it after 5 years

[hornbaek]

It is a f... off handbrake, that is for sure. On my DB4 every time i swing my legs out of the car, the trouser leg catches the handbrake and if unlucky it will release it. It happened at a recent rally where I stopped the car on an incline just in front of the scrutinisers whilst they were looking at the car in front. When i swung out of the car, the trouser leg caught the handbrake and pulled it slightly upwards releasing it and the car started to roll towards the car in front. Not there most elegant arrival.

[Quinny]

steveatesh said:

Whether it's a fly on or not, my mrs hasn't got used to it after 5 years

Fly off or not fly off.....not being able to figure it out = -6 man points for the op..

Your mrs is excused cos she's a girl...

[avinalarf]

When I purchased my DB9 the first thing the salesman told me was not to bother with the handbrake as it's a right pita.

[Zod]

The first Aston I drove was a V8V Roadster delivered to my home on a low-loader. The house is on a steep hill and I had to call the dealer when I tried to drive it, as I could not work out how to release the handbrake.

Seven years on, I still have issues, because it doesn't always release fully at the first attempt.

[Jon39]

hornbaek said:

When i swung out of the car (DB4), the trouser leg caught the handbrake and pulled it slightly upwards releasing it and the car started to roll towards the car in front.

One must keep up standards.
Presumably it was your tweed suit trouser turn up, that became caught on the handbrake. -

It took me a while, but am now used to the 'drop down' handbrake.
However, I sometimes reach for the handbrake with my right arm, only to realise I am driving a different car.

[john ryan]

Not a fly-off, which releases by just pulling up with no button press - you let go and the handle falls to the floor. Fly-off can only be engaged by pushing the button in. The V8 simply has a park position on the floor, but you must keep the button pressed in whilst releasing it, so it does not have the speed advantage of a true fly-off.

[RichB]

avinalarf said:

When I purchased my DB9 the first thing the salesman told me was not to bother with the handbrake as it's a right pita.

He probably didn't know how to work it !

[V8LM]

RichB said:

BravoV8V said:

JohnPM said:

it is a type of fly-off handbrake.

No, it's not.

RichB said:

As has been said it's a 'fly off' handbrake.

Nope, it's still not.

The handbrake in Gaydon Astons IS NOT a fly-off handbrake. It is just a standard handbrake that sits flat (rather than up) when either on or off.

Oh. When I drove the early V8Vs I thought it behaved in a similar way to my MGA handbrake. Mind you that was close on 40 years ago so my memory is wrong and you are right.

NP V8s were fly-off handbrakes. The current drop-to-the-floor even when on was introduced for the DB7 as the lever is on the door side of the seat.